Black - African American History Facts

Benjamin Roberts filed the first school integration suit on this date in 1848 on behalf of his daughter, Sarah Roberts, after she was barred from a white school in Boston, MA.

Dr. George Washington Carver, scientist and discoverer of over 300 products from the peanut, was successful in getting a Branch Agricultural Experiment Station and Agricultural School at Tuskegee Normal School on this date in 1897.

R. Hearness, inventor, patented the Sealing Attachment for Bottles on this date in 1898. Patent # 598,929.

U.S. and African nationalists, protesting the slaying of Congo Premier Patrice Lumumba, disrupted United Nations sessions on this date in 1961.

Nat King Cole, singer, pianist, and entertainer, died in Santa Monica, CA, on this date in 1965. "Unforgettable," "Mona Lisa," and "Sentimental Reasons" were some of his most popular songs.

The home of Malcolm X was bombed on this date in 1965-just days before his assassination.

Henry Lewis was named Director of the New Jersey Symphony on this date in 1968. Lewis was the first black person to direct an American orchestra.

Benjamin Lawson Hooks announced his retirement as Executive Director of the NAACP on this date in 1992.

Kweisi Mfume became President and CEO of the NAACP on this date in 1996.